Healing
by Kawabunga
Summary: When what is closest to you rages against you, you get paralyzed and in those times, your vulnerability is greater than ever. LeonCloud
1. Wounded

**Warnings:** Slash

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything!

Rating: M for later chapters, swearing and blood. And Cid of course!

**A/N:** This was originally meant to be a one-shot, but the damned thing would not cooperate with me as one piece so I chopped it up! It takes place during the events of KH, but you are allowed to decide exactly when yourself. It will not follow the grand story all that much, seeing as it is mainly focusing on Leon and Cloud, but there will be references to it. Seeing as this was meant to be a one-shot, I have written most of it already, so I'll be fast with the updates!

I apologize about possible errors and hope that you will enyoj it!

Please keep in mind that I am not from an English speaking country, which can sometimes have me mix up words and phrases. I am sorry forehand.

Now, have fun reading my stuff! Later people!

Oh, and btw... reviews are LOVED! :Glomps you all:

* * *

**Healing**

Chapter One

_"Wounded"_

-

Leon was never going to admit it, but at that precise moment, the lion felt small.

Weak.

Smaller and weaker than a damn kitten.

He stared disbelievingly down on the ground beneath him, were a familiar figure lay. Pale and unmoving. Seemingly dead. A ridiculously large sword lay next to him, reflecting the sun to the point where it looked as if it was glowing. Golden hair billowed vaguely in the swift wind and azure eyes were trapped behind heavy eyelids.

Cloud.

His chest was bloodied, shirt torn open, revealing a deep, fleshy wound. One of his arms were bent in a strange angle, and a crimson pool was slowly forming underneath him. Blond, vibrant hair, now oddly strawberry-colored in some places remained a strong contrast to his now sickly pale skin, and those blue eyes that used to hold so much ice were shut, thick lashes resting peacefully against the smooth, white surface. He could have been sleeping, but the painful frown that had stiffened in his face crushed that impression.

Heart racing like he had been running a marathon, the dark haired warrior bent down and placed calloused fingers on the unconscious blond's neck. He held his breath and waited. Waited for a couple of long painful seconds. Then, he felt a beat. A small, forced beat, but a beat nonetheless. Letting out his breath, Leon clasped a hand over his eyes and dragged it down to his chin.

He was alive.

He was badly hurt, but he was alive. At least for now.

Carefully, he removed the black sleeve from Cloud's left shoulder and noticed how it clung to his arm. It was soaked in blood as well. The other arm, as he had noticed earlier was probably broken, and by the looks of it, it was a complicated fraction as well.

"Damn," he muttered to himself, wondering what he should do next. The blond seemed to be in such a bad shape that moving him was asking him to die. Leon bit his lip and used his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. He hadn't felt this worried about any of his new companions except for Sora. Then again, none of them had ever been injured this bad. He gritted his teeth. Something had to be done, or Cloud would pass away, no doubt.

He swallowed thickly.

Seeing Cloud like that, bloodstained and ripped, wounded to the brink of death, unmoving and beaten on the ground, made his insides curl painfully and an alien nausea overwhelmed him.

His head was spinning and his guts stirred like a pile of snakes was moving in there. This was not something that usually happened to him and he cursed himself for not being able to control his own reactions. There was no room for him to get all dizzy now.

Gritting his teeth once more, he forced the sickness away and concentrated on what his next move should be. Cloud needed to get medical care right away and Leon, who had just been patrolling the Bailey was carrying no potions. Curaga, he thought, would not fix this either, at least not fast enough. Cloud needed help now, or he'd be dead. He needed Aerith. Aerith would possibly be able to fix this, but how the hell could he get in touch with her?

Panic rapidly rising in his chest, the dark haired swordsman ran a hand through his hair and ended up tugging at the wild tresses.

"Fuck." He cursed loudly, his voice nearly cracking. "Fuck!"

There was nothing he could do, it seemed at the brunet swore he had never felt this helpless in his life. In a matter of seconds, he was on his feet and with a fierce growl, he lifted his gunblade, the sharp metal gleaming in the sunlight. This was probably his last hope.

Closing his eyes in vain and agony, Squall Leonheart pulled the trigger and fired.

--

"What was that?"

Aerith whirled around in Merlin's sunlit kitchen, hot, thick sauce flying from the spoon in her hand, landing only inches away from the hyperactive ninja seated by the wooden table waiting to still her hunger. Her long braid swirled in the air as she turned his head and gently landed on her bare shoulder, bright green eyes wide and delicate cheeks vaguely flushed with surprise. Lifting the hand holding the spoon to her chest, she used the other one to tuck a bundle of brown locks behind her ear, a worried expression evident in her face.

She had been cooking dinner for the Restoration Committee and Yuffe, being the lazy teenager she was, had decided to hang around in the kitchen while her friend made the meal. She had been about to taste her work once a loud gunshot had been heard from somewhere in the distance, and startled both her and the Wutaian girl.

"Yuffie, did you hear—"

"Yes!" The petite wutaian girl exclaimed, jumping out of her seat, shuriken already in hand. Her black, short hair fluttered around her cheekbones and her onyx eyes glimmered with awareness.

"That was the sound of Squallie's gunblade!" If only 'Squallie' had been there to hear _that_ nickname.

The words hit the flower girl like a bullet. She gasped and her chest rose rapidly. "Leon!"

Without more talking, she threw the spoon away and set herself in motion, completely forgetting to turn off the stove. Luckily, this was Merlin's house, so the objects would probably make sure he was alarmed if something went wrong. This, however, did not even cross Aerith's mind as she hurried out of the kitchen, Yuffie at her side.

She pushed past the younger female and ran for the front door, the pink fabric of her dress dancing around her bare legs. The thought of what this meant sent shivers down her spine and what was why she knew there was no room for hesitating.

Leon firing his weapon could only mean one thing.

_Trouble.  
_

--

Leon did not know what to do. Once he'd fired the shot, he bent down again and lifted the blond's head, so that he was lying with his head in Leon's lap. He had no intentions of moving, not even to get help. The way he saw it, he only had two options; Wait and see if anyone had heard him fire, or leave to find someone. Either way, Cloud would probably die before he came back, due to dehydration and massive blood loss. Leon knew this, seeing as he had seen too many soldiers die that way. Besides, falling unconscious like this was not good. He had to find a way to wake the blond, and keep him sober.

Knowing it was the only way, he raised his hand and slapped the soldiers face mercilessly.

Mako eyes fluttered open and fixed themselves glossily on him.

Cloud stared at him for a moment, seemingly highly confused. Then, he opened his mouth, as if to say something, but not a word came out. He sighed and was about to shut his eyes again, when Leon slapped him once more, a bit harder this time.

"Stay awake Cloud!" It came out a hoarse whisper and Leon immediately ordered his voice to sound more stern.

Cloud did not need him to go all sappy now.

He needed to stay strong.

If nothing else, so that he could get him safely back to Aerith. The beautiful woman would be devastated if anything happened to Cloud and the last thing Leon wanted was to see her getting hurt. Cloud meant the world to her, and he knew it. There was absolutely no way he'd let the blond fall victim to his death.

Breathing harshly, he pushed a couple of golden strains away from the swordsman's face.

In terror, he noticed how those pale, fine features were covered in blood and a warm, wet substance soaked through the fabric of his clothes and Leon's breath hitched as those bright, now dulled, sapphire eyes blinked up at him.

Dark, long lashes fluttered against his cheekbones and his lips parted slowly.

The brunet shook his head. "Don't strain yourself." He murmured and cradled the blond carefully closer, his left hand covering the deep, weeping gash running across his abdomen.

Cloud gave a faint nod and his brows knitted.

He coughed and suddenly, blood was pouring from his mouth, slithering down his chin.

"Fuck!" Leon hissed and brought his hand up to wipe it away. Gritting his teeth at the sight, he watched as those wide, blue eyes followed his moves.

"Leave it." The wounded man whispered just before a new set of trembles ran through his body and more blood trailed from his mouth.

Leon felt anger flare within him.

"No." He stated firmly and continued to patch the blood away. Cloud's gaze was still piercing him, but he said no more. He probably wasn't capable of doing so.

"Now lay still." He ordered quietly and watched as the those azure eyes drifted shut at his command.

As he studied Cloud's face, he noticed for the first time that the blond actually had freckles. Small, brown spots covered his cheeks, like stars on the midnight sky. Why hadn't he noticed this before? His fingers slowly crept their way to those small spots and the gunblade wielder found himself stroking the soft skin beneath them with a tenderness he had never been aware he harbored.

--

_Please_, he begged mentally, and closed his eyes briefly before looking down at the blond once more, _please don't let him die._

_Please don't let it be Cloud, _she prayed inwardly, the sentence soon becoming a mantra in her mind.

Balling her hands to fist as she ran, something inside her told the flower girl that this was indeed involving Cloud and that he had to be in deep vain.

The blond had been missing for months now, and he had not returned any of her calls. Somehow, she just knew this had got to have something to do with her precious soldier. Leon wouldn't have fired his gunblade if something was not extremely wrong, not even if he was in danger himself. The guy was simply to stubborn for that.

With this in mind, Aerith Gainsborough ran like she had never ran before, with no other goal than helping out her comrade.

"Aerith!"

Yuffie was yelling her name, but the brown haired woman just kept running, her head oddly foggy from fear and bewilderment.

She didn't even know where she was running, she just moved towards the source of the previous gunshot. Something inside of her just screamed at her to get there fast.

"Aerith, wait!" Yuffie bellowed from behind her, "you don't know where you're going to look!"

She halted abruptly.

Yuffie was right.

For the first time in a long while, the flower girl cursed loudly.

_--_

How the swordsman had gotten himself into this kind of situation, Leon could only guess. There were no traces of heartless, and he had no idea of how Cloud had gotten where he was now. Judging by the lack of blood on the ground area around him, Leon dismissed the thought of him crawling there. The only reasonable explanation was that Cloud had fought someone right there and that whoever it was, he or she was incredibly strong and powerful.

With a concerned frown, the brunet thought about the one person that he knew was able to beat Cloud.

_Sephiroth._

He hoped from the deepest depths of his soul that the silver haired maniac was not the one responsible for this. Yet, at the same time, the thought of someone as skilled as the General on the loose made the brunet's stomach tighten.

As if one wasn't enough.

A gurgling sound from Cloud caught his attention and in horror, he watched as the blond's lips parted in a silent cry, his body spasming, eyes rolling back before they pierced him with a desperate, horrified stare.

_No_, he screamed inwardly. _No, no , no!_

"No... Cloud..."

The body in his arms went limp and a choked gasp tore it's way from the swordsman's throat.

"_Aerith!_"

TBC


	2. Companionship

**Disclaimer:** Not mine

**Warnings:** Slash

**A/N:** So, I shall thank you for the reviews, and I am happy you liked it! For those of you that haven't played FF, and wonders who the hell is Zack Fair; Look it up! He is awesome!! I will be updating this frequently, and reviews are always appreciated!!

Love ya all!

* * *

**Healing**

Chapter Two

_"Companionship"_

-

Light.

Loads of Light surrendered him. In fact it was so much light around him that he could see nothing else

No traces of darkness.

Except for his own, he corrected bitterly, but as soon as the thought left him, he realized that he could no longer feel the darkness that used to stain his soul.

He blinked and tried to adjust to the sharp white surrounding him.

Tears prickled behind his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. Coughing, he panted for air, and at last managed to fill his lungs.

He felt as if he was flying, or fleeting more precisely and for some reason, the sensation was not foreign to him. He had been through this before. Just as he was about to recall when, he was shipped to his feet by an invisible force and once he was securely standing, he looked around in awe. Everything was completely white, even the ground he was standing on.

What had just happened?

Apparently his foggy mind was not operating the way it should. He tried to think back, but it seemed almost as if a brick wall was separating him from his memories of the last events.

How had he gotten here?

And more importantly where was _here_?

All those questions were giving him a headache.

As his eyes drifted shut, he suddenly realized that he could not feel his heartbeats, which was weird seeing as he was quite upset, not to mention exhausted. He lifted a shaky hand and placed it over his chest and his face changed slowly, a shocked expression left in the end.

Nothing.

His chest felt completely hollow.

What the fuck was going on here?

Cloud was not the one to be frightened easily, but this sure as hell made his gut clench painfully. He had never experienced anything like this. His heart had stopped beating?

Did— did that mean he was _dead_?

"You look a little confused there Chocobo-head."

His eyes snapped open.

It was impossible not to remember _that _voice.

"Damn. I really am dead, am I not?"

--

"Leon!"

The warrior's head lifted rapidly at the calling of his name, and Aerith almost screamed when she saw the look in his face.

Leon, formerly known as Squall, looked defeated.

His eyes, which usually held so much strength and character, were clouded.

Empty.

It was a completely heartbreaking sight.

The Cetra knew something was terribly, terribly wrong and the dark, unmoving figure his his lap confirmed her worst nightmares.

_Cloud._

--

Zack's smile was as bright as ever. A perfect, pearly row of teeth, glistening towards him, lips pulled back in an almost predatory way. His eyes gleamed with their trademark tomfoolery and once Cloud looked into those deep, blue depths, he knew he would never forget that expression. Not in this world, or in Midgar. Feeling how the corners of his mouth tugged upwards, the warrior raised his hand in a silent, welcoming gesture.

The ex-SOLDIER grinned back at him, and as always when he was around, Cloud relaxed.

His dark haired companion was probably the only person that had ever evoked such a strong feeling of contentment inside of the blond. Whenever he was with Zack, he allowed himself to let his guard down and rest completely. Nobody else had ever made him act like that.

He trusted Zack Fair with his life.

Well, he thought a bit sadly, there were others he'd rely heavily on aside from Zack. Like Tifa, Aerith and the rest of AVALANCHE.

Or Leon...

_Stay awake Cloud!_

He knitted his brows a little. Why did his stomach flutter like that when he thought about the brunet? It wasn't a pleasant kind of fluttering, but one accompanied by a burning sensation in the pit of his belly. A feeling that implied that he had forgotten something important. Something important that involved Leon.  
It was a feeling of severe unease and brows furrowing further, he tried to figure out what it meant, but was unable to decipher it.

Returning his attention to Zack, who looked exactly the way he remembered him, he waited for the ex SOLDIER to say something.

And by that, preferably give him some answers.

He was gravely disappointed however, when all the spiky haired warrior did, was grinning even wider.

Cloud was about to move forward, but a movement from Zack made him stop dead in his tracks.

Without a word, he raised his hand and held his palm up, so that it was facing the blond.

It looked as if he was telling the other man to stop.

Cloud frowned slightly and tried to take a step closer, but suddenly found that he could not move.

_Now, lay still._

What?

All of a sudden, his head started throbbing and he lifted a hand and fisted it in his hair. It felt as if his brain was jumping and he got slightly dizzy from the pounding sensation.

The pain grew.

"Ah!" He panted and closed his eyes, Zack vanishing from his sight. He gripped his head with both hands and gritted his teeth, trying to block out the stinging pain. Tears formed in his eyes and suddenly, his chest gave a loud thud and his whole body jolted as if electrocuted.

"Zack!" He managed to wheeze as the pain took over his whole corpus, "make— ah! Make it stop!"

He heard a faint chuckle, and anger flaring within him, he wondered what the heck could possibly be funny about this. He was being fucking tortured! He tried to open his eyes, but the light was too bright and black spots soon danced upon his retina.

"Zack!"

"I'm sorry Chocobo-head," came the SOILDER's soft voice and Cloud swore it hadn't changed one bit, "I can't help you. And I won't."

There was a pause and Cloud's breath hitched in his throat.

"You don't belong here Cloud. Not yet."

Zack's voice was getting oddly blurry and for some weird reason, Cloud wasn't able to hear the words properly, "now get back to those who care about you."

His chest exploded and suddenly, it felt as if a dozen invisible limbs wrapped around him and brutally pulled him backwards.

Cloud opened his mouth and screamed.

"_Stay awake Cloud!"_

--

Darkness.

The light vanished in a flash and suddenly, the pain was gone too and all that was left was the feeling of his now rapidly pounding heart. He felt something soft under his head and a familiar smell tickled in his nose.

_Clean bedsheets?_

Yes, that made sense. The warmth that was surrounding him and the softness coating his back indicated that he was lying in some sort of bed, and the cushy object beneath his head had to be a pillow.

How?

Moments ago, he was with Zack in some weird white place, and now he was all of a sudden in a bed?

Eyes snapping open, he was momentarily startled by the sight a set of sparkling emeralds hovering over him and it took him some time to realize that those were Aerith's eyes.

"What happened?" He croaked, his voice nearly failing him.

Aerith smiled softly and silenced him by putting a finger on his lips. Green eyes sparkling with concern and care. "Hush," she breathed, "don't strain yourself."

Cloud froze for a moment.

_Don't strain yourself._

Why did that sound so oddly familiar? Something about those words made his stomach flutter and brows furrowing, he tried to get a hold of what it meant. He searched his tired mind for answers, but it wasn't really cooperating.

Aerith pulled him out of his musings, by patting his forehead with a slightly cool hand. "You need to rest."

Cloud could only nod.

Even if he had wanted to say something, he didn't think he'd ind the strength to do so. He just blinked slowly up at her and sighed.

It felt good to have someone take care of him like this, despite the fact that he didn't want to be a burden to anyone. At least not to Aerith. The woman had done too much for him to ever pay back already, but he knew that she did not consider him a burden at all and the worst thing he could do was to worry Aerith more.

She reached for a glass of water on his nightstand. "Here, drink." She slithered a hand behind his neck and lifted his head up. He closed his eyes as the cool glass touched his lips and precious droplets of water wet his tongue. When he had stilled his thirst, she set the glass away and gently maid him down again.

"There we go."

He smiled tiredly at her and watched her eyes shining lovingly at him. "Now try to get some sleep will you?"

"Just one thing," his hand gripped hers and she felt herself give in even if she thought he needed his sleep to recover. She squeezed his hand back and waited for him to speak. "How did I get here?"

Her eyes widened and her brows furrowed. Her free hand lifted to hook some hair behind her ear and she swallowed thickly. Something was wrong. Cloud did not know how he got here? "You mean you don't remember?" She cleared her throat and grabbed a firmer hold of his hand.

The blond warrior glanced at her, blue eyes filled with confusion. He looked almost like a lost child. "No?" He uttered meekly, pursing his lips. "All I remember is—" he halted, his expression abruptly changing into one of extreme awareness, gaze flickering away from hers.

"What, Cloud? You remember what?"

He looked up at her, face strangely plain. "I was attacked from behind I think. Can't remember much. Just that I was consumed by this strange darkness." He drummed his fingers against the cushions, still averting her gaze.

"Darkness?" She breathed. "You mean as in—"

"I don't know." He barked sullenly, his voice almost reaching it's braking point. She drew back slightly, but he caught her by the wrist before she moved entirely away from him.

"Listen," he murmured, thumb caressing the back of her hand. "I don't remember what happened and my mind is not working very well right now." He watched as her features softened, bright emerald eyes doing the same.

"I'm sorry," she stooped her head a little and took his hand again. "You're probably just tired. No wonder your memory doesn't work like it should."

He grimaced at her, "no, Aerith. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm... I'm just not myself at the moment."

She patted his hand understandingly. "I know. Now," her voice turned firm, "now you need to try and get some sleep."

He nodded again, glad for this opportunity to get away, and let his eyes drift shut once more.

"Oh and Cloud?"

He cracked an eye open. "Yes?"

"Leon found you."

The blond's eyes snapped open and he eyed the flower girl intensively. "Leon?"

Aerith gave a nod. "Yes. Well, actually he found you while patrolling the Bailey and he called us here..."

"...By firing his gunblade." She added in a small voice.

"You were going into shock and he had no other choice. He could not leave you and considering your condition, carrying you would have been fatal." Tears were already forming in her eyes and she had to swallow several times to manage to continue.

"I got there just in time. Had we gotten there a minute later, you might not have survived."

She sniffled and rubbed her face, no longer caring about hiding her emotions. "I was so afraid of losing you Cloud. We all were."

He did not reply. Had no idea how to. He was not good with conversations like that, and had never really been either.

Aertih knew this, so she just continued to wipe away her tears, all the while stroking his hand.

Cloud felt his heart sting a little at the sight.

He knew she had been worried sick about him and it hurt him to see her like this. He did not want her to be sad for him, at least not now, when he was doing fine and was out of danger.

_She should be proud of herself._

He wanted to tell her this, but he could not get the words to roll of his tongue. Instead he just intertwined their fingers loosely before closing his eyes. "Thank you." He breathed and felt how he was all of a sudden overcome with drowsiness.

"You're welcome, Cloud."

Aerith held his hand as he drifted off to sleep.

TBC


	3. Secrets

**Warnings:** Slash...

**Disclaimer:** I do not own... dude... fanfiction says you anything?

**A/N:** So, chapter three is up! And I am happy about this. As you might have noticed, I love Aerith, and for some reason, I think she should be important here. Anyone doesn't, that's their problem. :Chuckles:

Now, if you would kindly leave a review, that would have made me really happy! Don't just alert or favorite (even though I LOVE that you do that as well), REVIEW dammit!!

:Fetches Vincent and makes him point Scorpion at you all: Okay??

Heheeee... So PLEASE ENJOY!! This chapter is deticated to my beloved **Ivy**, whom I haven't seen in a while... I think the freezer demons ate her... Oo

* * *

**Healing**

Chapter Three

_"Secrets"_

-

When Aerith came down from the bedroom in which Cloud was resting after making sure her beloved warrior had fallen safely asleep, she had to chuckle at the sight that met her.

She had known the others would be waiting for news about the blond's condition, but she hadn't imagined them to be quite this worried.

Merlin, Yuffie and Cid were all bunked up in the living room and the signs of their worry did not pass her by. Yuffie had fallen into a seemingly deep slumber on the couch, judging by her wide open mouth, not to mention the drool that dripped from it. (The petite girl always fell asleep if her brain had been overly used.) She looked as if she hadn't been sleeping for ages and the flower girl wasn't surprised to find her face partly covered in black.

She raised an eyebrow at Cid who tried to appear innocent, but failed miserably. Apart from the not so angelic expression however, he seemed even more grumpier than usual and his trademark scowl appeared sourer than ever.

Beside him, arms protectively folded over her chest, stood Tifa. The black haired woman had abandoned the bar and her deep brown eyes were red around the edges, something that told Aerith that she had been crying.

This made the healer's heart twinge. Tifa was not the one to shed tears easily, but this had certainly taken it's toll on her.

She looked kind of lost and Aerith felt like hugging her.

Merlin, the owner of the house was stroking his beard thoughtfully and his hat had slid down to the left and was now preforming a pretty impressive balancing trick. When he noticed Aerith, he jumped slightly, the movement causing his hat to fall off. After mumbling something uncatchable, he bent down and picked it up with a grace that did not all suit his age. Once he had placed it back on his head, he caught the Cetra's eyes and furrowed his brows. He was about to open his mouth, most likely to ask about Cloud's condition, but before he managed to speak, a voice beat him to it.

"How's Spike doin'?" Cid sounded rather unconcerned and gruff, but Aerith knew the ways of the pilot. Once he really cared about something, he would try to appear completely unemotional –well, unless he showed anger that was- and cold. The toothpick dangled from his lips as he spoke and his brows were firmly knitted.

She gave a tired little smile and nodded her head slowly. "He's doing fine, Cid. It took me some time to heal that gash, and the arm will probably always feel a bit stiff, but he'll live."

The pilot sighed in relief and the brown haired woman knew a burden was lifted from the older man's shoulder. He loved Cloud, despite the fact that he never really said so, and there was do doubt he would have been devastated if she'd harbored harder news.

"Stupid kid," he muttered then, and Aerith almost rolled her eyes. Typical Cid. Once the emergency was over and everything was confirmed okay, he wouldn't hesitate to comment about it in his usual gruff way, "ain't he ever gonna learn? He keeps getting' himself into deep shit all the time."

"Well," Merlin interrupted, "we are all happy that he is all right." He smiled behind his mustache and Aerith beamed back.

Tifa had yet to speak, but she was rubbing her temples slowly, eyes closed and mouth slightly open.

Aerith reckoned she was absorbing the news.

Sighing softly, she clasper her hands above her stomach.

Her gaze traveled to the sleeping ninja on the couch and Cid saw her look and gave a short snort. "Rude little brat. Falling asleep in a time like this."

Aerith decided to ignore him and just wandered over and placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder. She had merely touched her, before her spectacular ninja reflexes shot in. With a small squeal, she jumped out of her lying positions like a human lightning and in moments, she was standing on her feet.

"Where's the emergency??" She bellowed and peered rapidly around. Cid rolled his eyes and huffed loudly, while Merlin and Aerith had to suppress their laughter. Tifa just stared at her, as if she was not really there.

"Shh, Yuffie," Aerith breathed, "Cloud is resting upstairs, so keep your voice down."

The ninja turned her head so fast that the flower girl was surprised her neck did not snap. Deep, dark eyes penetrated soft, emerald ones. "He's all right? Cloudster is all right?"

Aerith smiled and nodded her head. "Yes."

A wide, happy grin ascended in the girl's face. "Yay!" She yelled and literally jumped with glee.

Her jump ended brutally however, when her leg got caught in the table leg and she fell rather ungracefully on her bum. Everyone in the house laughed.

Once their laughter had settled, the flower girl came to think of something. "Where's Leon?" She breathed, her eyes once again shining with faint worry.

Cid waved his hand at her. "He's outside. Muttered something about fresh air."

Aerith bit her lip. This was not surprising news. Leon had never been the type to hang around and wait for information. He'd simply take a walk, or go slice something with his gunblade. The ways of the lion was not hard to learn, but sometimes they could be quite confusing and strange.

"Well," she said then, "I'll go look for him. Let me know if anything changes here, okay?" By that she meant if Cloud should wake up.

"Tifa?" She turned to the bartender with a suggesting smile. "Would you like to sit with him?"

She gestured towards the bedroom, "he's probably going to be sleeping for a while, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind you being there."

The woman returned the smile and nodded. Aerith suspected it would be beneficial for her to see for herself that Cloud was going to be fine and Tifa possibly knew the blond even better than she did, so she trusted her to do a good job watching over him.

"I'll be going then," she informed before she moved for the door. "If you're hungry, there's dinner in the kitchen."

"Okay" Yuffie piped up. "We'll take care of Cloudster! Just make sure Squallie-poo has not jumped off a cliff or something."

No one found the comment all that amusing.

"Oh and," Aerith turned in the door frame, "don't let Yuffie near the stove."

That was a far better trigger; they all laughed. Even Yuffie herself.

--

She did not have to search for long. She had merely walked for five minutes before she saw his silhouette against the afternoon sky. His broad back appeared tense and his head was lifted stubbornly, as if he was trying to block out the world. Chestnut hair billowed slightly in the faint wind and his right hand rested on the gunblade.  
From what she could figure out, the other one was tucked to right above his chest and she suspected that he was playing with the heavy metal chain around his neck. Griever. The reminder of his previous life and a symbol of his own personal burden.

"Leon?" she breathed, approaching his stoic figure carefully, "are you all right?"

He sighed, and his shoulders fell with the motion. Turning to look at her, he pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded. "Yeah," his voice strangely sullen, "just needed some air. And some time to think." He added as she walked over to him.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, she squeezed it comfortingly and smiled.

"I understand."

They stood in silence for a while, Aertih's hand gently massaging the swordsman's stiff muscles.

From what she could see of his face, he was rather upset and although he'd never admit it, probably pretty worried as well. His lips were nothing but a thin, stern line and his eyes burned darkly in their sockets.

"He's going to be okay, Leon." She said quietly and watched his expression soften a little. Closing his eyes, he gave a short hum and licked his lips. His way of showing he was happy with the information.

"What happened?" She asked then, green eyes filling with bewilderment.

"I don't know." He replied simply and drew a deep breath before continuing. "I just found him while I was searching the place for Heartless. There were no traces of a fight, but no blood trails either."

She furrowed her brows. "That's peculiar."

He snorted. It was more than peculiar. It was fucking impossible. How the hell had Cloud ended up there? And who was the one responsible?

"Listen," her hand fell from his shoulder and gently grasped his arm, forcing him to look at her, "you did what you could today, Leon. And without you, Cloud would not have been alive right now."

He swallowed, delicate, dark brows knitting faintly. Clearly, he was of another opinion. She almost rolled her eyes.

"When are you going to stop blaming yourself for everything?" He cringed a little at her words, and she mentally noted that she needed to step carefully. This was a sore spot. Still, he needed to hear this. "It's not your fault you know. Cloud got himself into this all by himself. All you did was saving him."

She caught his eyes and held them trapped. "He once came too late to save me," her voice quivered slightly at the memory, but when he opened his mouth to speak she silenced him with another stern look. "Cloud still blames himself for that event. And he thinks it is all his fault that Sephiroth got to me."

She smiled sadly. "As I'm sure you understand, it was nothing he could have done about it and I have told him so several times, but he refuses to believe me. He's stubborn like that." Her smile resembled a smirk for a swift second, "you two are very alike you know."

He gave her a look, but she just kept smiling. "It's true. You have more in common than you think."

--

Leon moved carefully across the floor and over to the bed where Cloud was resting. Beside the bed, on a wooden chair, sat Tifa. Sunlight flooded through the one mussy window in the room and her hair shone slightly, reminding Leon of a glory. She looked up when he entered and from what he could see of her face, she appeared calmer now than before. Clearly, Aerith had made the right choice, letting her watch over Cloud. She was holding one of his limp hands, her thumb gently stroking it in round motions. He nodded shortly at her and she returned the gesture with a small smile.

"How is he?"

She shrugged a little. "Well, he hasn't been awake since Aerith left him, and he seems to be resting just fine."

Leon raked a hand through his hair, still a bit uncertain about his purpose here. Aerith thought he needed to see for himself that Cloud was okay, but the dark haired swordsman wasn't sure if she was right. Seeing Cloud tied to the bed like this made him clench his teeth hard and his hands balled into fists.

"You can sit here if you want," came Tifa's soft voice and his eyes flew up and met hers, "I'll have to go back to the bar soon anyway. The profit will not appear out of nowhere."

He knew she was right. Tifa needed munny just as much as them and her bar was not exactly the most crowded place. Nodding, he walked over to her and shook her shoulder faintly before motioning towards Cloud.

"I'll... I'll watch him for a while." He stated calmly, although his voice was less powerful than usual. Tifa seemed to notice, but she didn't say anything as she rose to her feet and moved for the door.

"Thanks." She waved and waited for him to nod before she shut it behind her.

When she was gone and he could no longer her her footsteps in the hall, he turned to the sleeping blond in the bed and contemplated about what to do next. Leon was not used to taking care of others, and even though his friends and coworkers saw him as a collected and strong person with a strong will, he was most uncertain when it came to showing affection or things similar to that.

He regarded Cloud's sleeping form for another couple of minutes, but when his mind told him that he was being silly, he cleared his throat and moved for the bed.

He did not sit down, he just blinked dumbly at the chair, biting his lip.

"Are you gonna stay there all day?"

He almost jumped and would have done so if it wasn't for the fact that Squall, now Leon, Leonheart never jumped. That was out of his physical vocabulary. He eyed Cloud warily and noticed how the warriors bright, blue eyes were fixed on him.

Cloud was awake? For how long?

He narrowed his eyes.

"You're awake." He was pointing out the obvious, but right now, he was too perplexed to care.

Cloud almost rolled his eyes, and Leon's gaze grew sharper.

"Yes, I am." The blond breathed then and gave a short cough. Leon, still utterly aware stepped a few inches closer to him and grabbed a hold of the now empty glass on the night stand.

"I'll fill this." He stated and motioned towards the bathroom. "Wait."

Cloud could only nod and even if he felt a bit undignified, he was thirsty. When the brunet retreated with a full glass of water, Cloud felt the dryness in his mouth and smacked his tongue impatiently. This caused Leon to raise an eyebrow, but the former SOLDIER chose to ignore the gesture.

The brunet stood and watched Cloud for a couple of seconds, and now it was Cloud's turn to raise his brows.

"Won't you give me the water?" He croaked, voice harsh and dry. Leon, seemingly in his own thoughts shook his head faintly and moved towards the bed.

"Yeah, sorry." He raked a hand through his hair before setting the glass down and almost brutally grabbing a hold of the wounded blond, pulling him up in a sitting position. Cloud gave a wincing sound, but when Leon studied his face, it was as calm as ever. Supporting the blond with one arm, he took the glass and moved it to Cloud's lips.

"Drink," was the order that followed and Cloud didn't need to be told twice. Her drank so much and so fast that Leon had to firmly take the glass from his mouth with a comment about how too much water at once could lead to nausea. Cloud had almost pouted at this, and the lion actually had to suppress a laugh at the expression. It was so extremely out of character. Once he had put away the glass, he gently get go of the blond, who fell back to the cushions with a small sigh.

Leon decided to use the chair. He sat down beside Cloud, hands folded in his lap, thumbs rolling.

Cloud watched him for a couple of seconds, a somewhat thoughtful expression grazing his features. When Leon did not say anything, he simply shrugged and closed his eyes.

They stayed in silence for some time and after a little while, Leon found himself closing his eyes.

"I fought him again." The sudden sound of Cloud's voice made his eyes snap open and staring towards the bed for a couple of seconds, Leon sighed.

"I figured."

"How?" Cloud turned to look at him, ocean eyes wide with curiosity. "How did you know it wasn't the Heartless?"

"Because if it were Heartless you would have said so." He shrugged faintly and pinched the bridge of his nose. A gesture Cloud had gotten used to. Leon always pinched his nose when he was distressed somehow. "When you insisted on keeping quiet, I assumed it was hard to talk about."

"Oh."

Cloud did not really know what to say to that.

He supposed Leon was right.

He had never liked to talk about Sephiroth. Frankly, he would avoid it at all costs.

However, now he felt like it was only appropriate to spill what he knew. If the General was around, his comrades would need to know. Even if Cloud was his target, not they. The blond knew he would never have been able to forgive himself if anything happened to them because of him.

He'd felt that pain several times before, and it was worse than anything faith could ever provide one with. With a small shudder, he remembered the weight of Aerith's dead body in his arms, and in his head, he saw her slowly slipping into the glimmering water of the lake, her fair skin paler than the moon. Just after the sight vanished, it was replaced by the thorn body of Zack Fair, sprawled out on the hilltop under a darkened, heavy sky.

Feeling how his insides twisted, he gritted his teeth and forced the memory out of his head. He had other, more current things to concentrate about.

"Also," Leon's voice brought him back to that currency and although a bit pale, he met the swordsman's eyes. "That wound on your chest implies you fought someone carrying a sword. And let's face it, you're far stronger than a bunch of Heartless."

"I guess you're right."

"Have you told Aerith yet?"

"No." He answered simply, eyes darting to the bedsheets.

"May I ask why?"

"I don't want her to worry. She has enough to deal with already."

"But I'm sure she'd want to know. Besides, she's not stupid you know." Stormy gray eyes locked with his and against his will, Cloud found himself being drawn into their gloomy depths.

"I know." He uttered darkly, "I just don't feel like it right now."

"I see." There was no mocking in the gunblader's voice, just this smooth tone of understanding. A tone Cloud knew was not forced or fake. Leon never said anything unless he really meant it, at least not when he could have chosen not to speak.

"How did he find you?" The brunet asked after a couple of seconds in silence. "What happened? There were no traces of blood."

Cloud frowned a little. "I don't really remember all that much. All I recall is that I was traveling from the Coliseum and all of a sudden I was here, fighting him."

Leon raised his brows. "You mean you teleported here?"

The blond shrugged and he bit his lip. The room lay bathed in a warm, orange light and a soft breeze came from the open window. Cloud's hair billowed slightly in the wind, golden bangs dancing before his eyes. His face was beginning to gain some color and his freckles paled noticeably.

"I don't know. It felt weird though. He just appeared before me and smirked, but before I had the chance to attack him, I was surrounded by darkness and in a flash I was here. We both were."

"You mean at the Bailey?"

"Yeah." Cloud used his uninjured arm to rub his face and yawned, as if he was telling Leon something really boring. This was of course an act, and it was an act Leon was all too familiar with.

Squall Leonheart was indeed a master of disguises and knew all about denial.

"And that's all you remember?" Eyes narrowed, he regarded the blond, who just shrugged at him, waving a hand tiredly.

"That's all I remember."

TBC


	4. Help

**Warnings: **Slash and pancakes!!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts... But I do own a pair of black converse!!

**A/N: **So... this is fast, I know, but I felt like updating nonetheless! Thank you all so much for wonderful reviews! Please don't stop!

* * *

**Healing**

Chapter Four

_"Help"_

-

Almost an entire week had passed by since Cloud's incident, and as the blond was healing, life in Merlin's household slowly, but surely went back to normal. Yuffie was no longer disturbingly quiet, Cid had regained some of his usual grouchiness and Tifa spent more time at the bar. Merlin was doing his wizardry again, and Aerith though even Leon was starting to act rather normal. As for the gunblader, he had been following Cloud's healing-period just as intently as he was following the restoration work and he was pleased to see that in both cases, progress was being made. Ever since the first time he had visited Cloud, the brunet had made it a habit, checking up on hi, every time he had a short break from his work, and even though none of them ever mentioned it, they both seemed to enjoy each other's company.

Leon was currently sitting in the chair beside the blond's bed, flipping his hair thoughtfully out of his eyes. They had been talking about Sora for some time now, and Leon found himself wondering where the Keybearer was and what he was doing. It had been a while now, and the dark haired swordsman had to admit that he missed the kid. Sora was always so cheerfull and apart from Yuffie, Leon had never met anyone as bubbly as him. He supposed he was lucky for knowing a person like Sora, and he knew that he brunet would always have a special place in his heart. After all, Sora had made room for Leon in his, and a rather big one as well. He chuckled slightly, as he remembered the teens huge, silly grin and the way he used to put his arms behind his head, but quickly regained seriousness when he realized that he was not alone. Glancing over at Cloud to check if he had noticed his laugh, he was relieved to find that the blond was seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

"_Cloudster!" Came Yuffie's muffled voice through the door, and Cloud furrowed his brows faintly before the door creaked open and the petite ninja came bouncing in, carrying a rather large pile of pancakes on a plate. Cloud's eyes widened at the sight and without his permission, he felt his mouth watering. Pancakes were his absolute favorite food. He licked his lips and raised a hand to point at them. _

"_Are those for me?" _

"_Yeah," she gave a quick nod, her short black hair fluttering before her eyes. "Well," a sheepish grin developed in her face, "I kind of ate some..." _

_He managed to hold back the laugh. "Of course you did." _

Cloud's stomach made a loud growl.

"Are you hungry?" Leon's voice dragged him back to the present.

Cloud shrugged. "I guess so. What time is it anyway?"

"Seven."

The blond swallowed and his eyes darted to the ceiling.

Leon eyed him warily and as he did so, he noticed how the bruises on his companion's body had begun to lose their vibrant, blue color. Some of them had even turned completely brown and the small scratches on his forehead were almost entirely healed. Aerith had done an amazing job, patching him back together. With a faint shudder, the lion remembered the condition Cloud had been in when he found him and biting his tongue, the brunet remembered that that was the first time he had really become aware of that Cloud had freckles. Now, as he regarded the warrior, he could not make them out, but he knew they were there, like one knows the stars are there even in broad daylight.

He almost smiled at his own thoughts. He was comparing Cloud's freckles to stars now?

Well, yeah. He was.

He recalled that it wasn't the first time he had done so either. The day he found the injured blond he had drawn the same line, shortly after he'd noticed the small spots on the blond's facial features.

It was weird really.

How you thought you knew a person rather well, until one day, you realize you haven't even seen that he's got freckles.

"Dinner should be ready then." Came Cloud's soft reply, his voice dragging Leon out of his musings.

"Yeah." He nodded and motioned towards the door. "You want me to fetch you some?"

Cloud met his eyes before slowly shaking his head, blond spikes mussed from the pillow. "No."

Leon frowned. "But you said you were hungry."

Cloud bit his lip and a small wrinkle appeared in his forehead. He seemed to be clenching his jaws tightly, and his hands fiddled with the bedsheets.

Blinking, Leon noticed that the blond looked somewhat bothered. He raised his brows and waited for some kind of explanation. After an awkward moment of silence, the blond hero finally released his breath and with that, the words he had been meaning to ask for some time now;

"I was hoping you could help me downstairs."

--

Fifteen minutes later, when Cloud entered the kitchen, half walking, half supported by Leon, tears formed in more than one set of eyes.

Aerith, who was the first to notice them, rushed to his side and helped Leon guide him to the table, crying softly all the while. Once the SOLDIER was safely seated, he threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek, her hand patting his hair lovingly.

"Hey you..." She whispered, voice cracking slightly.

Yuffie grinned madly and even Cid's face broke into a big, warm smile. Apparently, they were glad to see him and their cheerfulness did not pass the blond by.

Later, Cloud heard from Aerith, that they were both so happy to see the blond that neither of them made an attempt to argue the whole rest of the day.

"Nice to see ya Spike!"

"Yay! Cloudster! You're up!"

Cloud, currently panting rather heavily from the effort tried to smile back at them, somewhat moved by their beaming faces.

He regarded Leon from the corner of his eyes and the brunet caught his gaze and nodded, an almost invisible smirk ghosting his features.

The meal went by much slower than usual, and once it was over, Cloud needed to rest in his chair for a good half an hour before Leon could carry him back to bed.

Yet, a feeling of hope and new beginnings had entered the house and the ones living in it felt as if their hearts were being freed from some of their chains and filled with a long awaited light.

--

The days passed and they made it a routine for Leon to help Cloud downstairs for dinner.

The blond got better every day, and even his left arm was beginning to feel somewhat useful. He was still awfully quiet about the whole incident and Aertih wasn't the only who suspected that he was hiding something. Tifa had tried talking to him about it, but he had been unusually reserved, even to her, and kept his memories a secret only Leon knew. The brunet on his side did not say anything to the other members of the Restoration Committee. He avoided the topic and refused to join the speculations. This was nothing new to his comrades, so no one thought of it as weird that Leon was keeping his thoughts to himself. He spent the days working hard with the restorations and only came in a few times during the day to eat and check upon Cloud. Despite his absence, he seemed to be in a good mood and he would even go grocery shopping for Aerith occasionally.

Cid and Yuffie had gone back to their normal bickering and their shouts and laughter could be heard all over the house. However, there were times where even they kept silent, mostly because Cloud was resting, which he did at least a couple of hours per day.

Merlin, after having Aerith confirming that Cloud would be all right, had left for his annual visit to Yen Sid and the household therefore seemed a bit empty. Before he left, he had, not so surprisingly, let Aerith in charge, and he'd promised to come back with some new, strengthening potions for Cloud.

During these weeks, Aerith Gainsborough found that she knew little about what she had earlier used to describe as men's-work. Once Merlin left, most of the magic left with him, and the chores suddenly became much harder than they had used to be. With both Leon and Cid busy and Cloud injured, it suddenly occurred to her that she had no one but Yuffie to help her with the house, which was not exactly ensuring.

In a remarkably short period of time, the Cetra learned how to repair broken chairs (Yuffie had an accident while eating breakfast – the girl really was a mess in the morning), force her aching muscles to carry -or rather drag- objects several times her weight, even fix the toilet. She could have sworn that her arms got bigger and Tifa had jokingly exclaimed that she looked somewhat more fit and masculine.

This, of course only had her giggling like a teenager and even Cid had to laugh at the comment. Leon had only shook his head and later assured her that she looked nothing of the sort and that Tifa was probably being delusional. Most likely from all the alcoholic drinks she served, and without doubt, also drank at the bar. This comment had nearly caused the flower girl to faint, seeing as it was not very often the ice prince of Radiant Garden attempted to make a joke.

About tree weeks after the accident. Cloud felt secure enough of his own condition to move outside. He'd called Leon early in the morning and asked the brunet, cheeks slightly flushed with embarrassment, if he had the time to join him for a small walk, and thereby support him when he needed it. The gunblader had, a bit appalled, answered him yes, and without further conversation, helped him out of bed.

--

Aerith crossed her arms protectively over her chest as she watched the two of them through the somewhat mussed glass in Merlin's house, a thoughtful expression grazing her delicate features.

The wolf and the lion.

Both such powerful creatures, although very different when compared to one another.

One of them was tar more fierce, more passionate than the other, whom was cooler, shyer and more withdrawn.

They were animals that belonged with a herd, but only if the rivalry wasn't strong enough to force them off their throne. When faced with a rival, both the leader wolf and the lion in charge would show off their strength at first, trying to avoid a battle. Sometimes a show like that would be enough and the possible rival would flee and leave the herd be, but there were times when muscles and teeth needed to get involved.

The flower girl smiled softly to herself.

She hadn't failed to see the connection.

The wolf and the lion were both living under the same roof as her.

Leon and Cloud was not actually fighting, but they were both trying to make their statements towards each other, both constantly on alert, aware of every step taken by the other male. They weren't exactly rivals, but fought silently nonetheless and Aerith knew her boys. Ever since their first meeting, they'd harbored doubt about each other and although neither of them would ever admit it, it had taken quite the amount of time for both of them to get used to each other. Dominant male creatures often had that problem.

The braided woman chuckled slightly, but quickly regained her seriousness, her beautiful emerald eyes clouding with thoughts.

The wolf and the lion were natural leaders, but to fulfill that role, they both needed a flock. A flock that followed them no matter what, who obeyed their orders and loved them back the way they loved them. They would also need a home, a nest or lair where they would feel completely safe and at ease. They needed care as well, comfort provided to them from the remaining members of the flock. Only then, when harboring all this, they would feel content. Only then, they would be able to show their real selfs, and give up the icy facade they'd been hiding behind. Until that time came, when they found all this, both of them would be stray animals. Alone, wandering, always searching for happiness and light.

Leon, she told herself, had found that place somehow. Ever since he had lost his world to the darkness, and with it, everyone he cared about, he had been on a constant search for rest, somewhere he would be useful. He had needed work to dull the heavy sorrow that Aerith knew he had been carrying within him. He had needed chores, a task, anything to keep the darkness away.

He had found this in Hollow Bastion, earlier known as Radiant Garden and he had used all his powers to rise it again. Leon had done more than anyone for this place, and the Restoration Committee had found a strong and fair leader in him. The warrior had kept their hopes up, he had been a shoulder to cry on -she giggled a little; a silent one that was-, a person to ask when troubled, a calming voice, a friend.

For Aerith, he had been what Cloud used to be, before he was plagued by darkness and withdrew from everything he had once loved. She knew the rest of heir companions felt the same way too. When Cloud was no longer around to look after them anymore, or to keep them company, they had turned to Leon, and soon learned to care about the silent warrior.

Cid, who'd known the brunet far longer than the rest of them, had once let it slip that the man Leon was now could not even be compared to the one he'd left behind when his world fell, Squall Leonheart.

The pilot had told Aerith that this 'Leon' was far stronger, more mature than Squall had ever been.

And even though he was more embedded and silent than he had been back then, he had also grown kinder, more warm-hearted and despite his often cool appearance, he really cared about those around him.

Cid knew what he was talking about and Aerith did not doubt him with for a second.

Leon had become a pole in their existence, something they could not go on without and the flower girl considered him a great person whom she loved from the bottom of her heart.

Needless to say, Aerith Gainsborough had a spacious heart and those whom she welcomed in there, would always have a spot of their own.

TBC


	5. Silence before the storm

**Warnings:** Slash

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Heart or it's characters! I just USE them!!

**A/N:** To all of you who has reviewed this piece of LeonCloudyness, ARIGATO! I love your reviews and have nothing to say but; Keep them coming!! Don't be afraid of reviewing people! I've heard it's healthy!! :Nods head reassuringly:

This chapter I am insanely proud of, seeing as I wrote the last part half asleep. And I still like it! Hope you guys do too!!

* * *

**Healing**

Chapter Five

_"Silence before the storm"_

-

"It's going to rain."

The blond lifted his head, gaze traveling to the darkened sky. The clouds were heavy and in the horizon, a gray, almost invisible shower threatened to come their way. The trees wavered slowly in the growing wind and the birds had long since found their nests.  
He could almost picture them. Hiding between twisted, slick branches, dark, round eyes wide with anticipation. Hearts hammering like small, erratic drums in their chests.  
They were creatures of the sky and they knew it better than any other beings. Yet, he imagined that that was also the reason why they were the first to flee before a storm. When what is closest to you rages against you, you get paralyzed and in those times, your vulnerability is greater than ever.

Glancing over at the stoic man walking beside him, he nodded his head quietly. "Yes. I it would appear so."

Leon did not bother to meet his gaze, and yet, Cloud knew he was watching him out of the corner of his eyes.

"We should head back." He mumbled, eyes darting to the ground, where emerald grass billowed rapidly.

The brunet hummed in agreement, but neither of them seemed to be in a rush to get inside. They simply continued to move forwards, Cloud limping slightly, but refusing to slow down the speed. Leon knew the blond's stubbornness and therefore, he simply pretended not to notice his struggling. He just kept on going, almost imperceptible changing their pace.  
Of course, his actions did not pass the blond by, but as Leon had foreseen, his pride and tenacity forbid him to comment it.

All in all, it was an agreement both were satisfied with.

They walked for a few more minutes, both enjoying the silence that surrounded them. Everything was always calm before a storm, unnervingly calm. Cloud found himself looking over at Leon and suddenly, he found he could not tear his gaze away.

The warrior's expression had darkened along with the weather, his eyes reflecting the color of the clouds. Dark brown tresses framed a strong, but beautiful face, giving him an almost raw look. The scar that slithered across his wild features was a constant reminder of his somewhat mysterious past and like many times before, Cloud found himself wondering how he had gotten it.

He'd once heard the name Seifer being uttered in a conversation between Cid and Leon, to which the brunet had reacted with the most emotional behavior Cloud had ever seen him preform. He'd literally stormed out of the house, eyes burning with such a passion that even Cloud had gotten worried. Whoever this Seifer was, Leon must have had a turbulent relationship with him.

For some odd reason, Cloud suddenly felt himself wanting to know more about his silent companion. Who had he been before his world was taken. And more importantly, who was he now? Cloud wasn't sure he knew that yet and there were tons of questions lingering in the air around the brunet. Questions of mist and darkness. Questions seemingly without answers. Questions even he would not be brave enough to ask.

All of a sudden, he was pulled out of his thoughts by a sudden change in Leon's expression. His eyes narrowed and Cloud knew he'd been caught staring.

Without a word, the lion lifted his head and met the blond's gaze. Azure eyes boring into stormy gray. For a moment of breathless seconds, the two of them simply regarded each other, none of them uttering a word. Cloud felt his mask slowly slipping under that piercing gaze and suddenly, words he had not meant to say left his mouth.

"I suppose I should thank you."

A glint of surprise flashed in the dark haired warrior's eyes, but he did not reply. As a matter of fact, he had no idea of what to say.

Cloud was thanking him? For what?

Saving his life?

He cleared his throat. "There's no need to thank me, Cloud." He stared intently at the blond, whose gaze never wavered. "You would have done the same for me."

"No." Leon furrowed his brows and cocked his head slightly.

"I'm not talking about calling for help or stopping my bleeding." Cloud continued quietly, "you did much more than that." He knitted his brows faintly and Leon was surprised to see him biting his lip almost nervously, "you said those words didn't you?"

A confused, but calm expression found it's way to Leon's face. "What words?"

Cloud, eyes darting rapidly from side to side, licked his lips before speaking up again.

"You told me not to strain myself. To lay still." A rather strong gust of wind captured his golden bangs and made them flicker before his eyes, "you told me to stay awake!"

Leon felt his heart twinge.

In his mind he saw the panicked, pained expression in Cloud's face as his body went into convulsions, followed by the feeling of his lifeless body in his arms. Without his permission, his eyes shut tightly and he gritted his teeth harshly, as if to block out the mental sight.

Suddenly, a hand was touching his face and his eyes snapped open, gray thunderstorms locking with glimmering pools of ocean.

"Thank you." The blond breathed, "for everything."

Leon swallowed, not only once, but several times and without thinking, he raised his hand and placed it over Cloud's, brushing the slightly calloused skin he found there. He dared not breathe as their hands moved against each other and everything seemed to freeze around them. Eyes widening, he found his tongue darting out to lick his lips and his stomach fluttered almost painfully.

Then, his fingers curled faintly and pressed the blond's hand against his cheek.

Heart beating incredibly fast, he closed his eyes and just absorbed the warmth that all of a sudden seemed to radiate from the other man's palm. He had no idea what was happening, and his head was spinning like leafs in strong wind. His breathing became uneven and shivers suddenly started to run down his spine.

The wind was growing stronger, and it's icy breath whipped around their ears, making goosebumps appear on the gunblader's skin. It was is if the weather was paying attention to what was happening between him and Cloud, and despite the fact that he was clueless about what exactly that was, he knew it had to be something big and overwhelming. Like the storm that was about to be born. Thunder rumbled in the far distance and Leon felt his body wake with the sound, his insides suddenly feeling as if they were in fire.

What was this alien feeling grasping his soul?

Why could he not find the ability to step away from Cloud and leave him without another word? What was it that made him slowly close the distance between them and place his free hand around the blond's neck? What made him pull Cloud closer, until their noses were almost touching and he could smell the other's breath?

Was it excitement, this feeling in his gut that stirred like a pile of snakes?

Was it excitement that caused his heart to skip several beats before it settled in a rhythm that was almost frighteningly fast?

Their lips were only inches apart.

Then, reality struck him like a lightning and he suddenly became aware of the extents of the situation. His breath hitched in his throat and a dry, shocked sob, tore it's way from his lips.

"I can't do this."

The lion wrenched himself out of the wolf's grasp and turned on his heels without a word. Blood rushing through his veins, mind clouded like the sky and with eyes wider than ever, Cloud was left to wonder what the hell had just happened.

--

When Leon stomped through the living room, hair dripping wet from the sudden rain and with a dark expression on his face, all the noise in the room vanished like dew on a sunny day. Yuffie, who was currently curled up on the couch, licking on an ice cream screwed her mouth shut, her lips becoming nothing but a sharp, thin line. She did not make an attempt to move, just stared at the warrior's broad back, eyes narrowing slowly.

At the sound of the door slamming shut, Aerith peered out of the kitchen expecting to see both Leon and Cloud, but her eyes widened rapidly at the sight that met her.

"Leon?" She breathed, but the dark haired warrior didn't turn, just continued to stride towards the stairs. Taking them in one leap, he disappeared form her sight.

He was in no mood for talking.

"Leon, where's Cloud?!" She almost shouted, voice panicking. The only answer she got was the loud slam of his bedroom door. The healer committed a wincing sound and moved to follow him, but Cid, occupied with scrubbing his hands free of oil and dirt, most likely on Aerith's command, threw away the towel he'd been using and rose quickly, gesturing for the flower girl to stay where she was.

"Don't bother yourself with this, Aerith." He growled an annoyance, "when he's in this mood, nothin' bites on him."

"But he was with Cloud! And there's a storm coming! We have to—"

"You take Yuffie and go look for Spike," he walked over to the stairs, hand waving idly at them, "I'll take care of Squall. Don't forget, I've known the brat for a long time. He's just gonna have to listen to me."

Only Cid would go as far as calling Leon a brat, a description that would never have crossed the flower girl's mind.

Nonetheless, the pilot was right. He knew Leon better than anyone and it would only be appropriate to let him handle this.

Sighing, she stooped her head and motioned for Yuffie to come with her.

"We have to find Cloud before the storm breaks out." She threw the creaking door open and strode outside in the hammering rain, her hair billowing wildly in the harsh wind.

"I can't believe him!" She choked and, holding a hand up to block her eyes from the pouring rain, and Yuffie reckoned she had to be talking about Leon. "Leaving Cloud like that. He's not even properly healed yet!"

The flower girl was angry, no doubt about that, but as always, her worry came first in line. Literally dragging a perplexed ninja by the wrist, she defied the raging weather. With nothing else in mind but finding the blond she cared so much about.

--

"All right, spit it out boy." There was no room for dodging the truth when Cid burst inside Leon and Cloud's shared bedroom without knocking first, his heavy boots slamming against the wooden floor.

He simply moved over to Leon, placed a hand on the warrior's shoulder and waited for him to talk.

"..."

The pilot heaved a sigh and out of nowhere, he all but rattled the muscled body underneath his palm.

Leon, a bit startled by his actions turned around and swatted his hand away, looking at it with an almost disgusted expression evident on his features.

He should have known Cid would come after him. Whenever Leon was acting all unapproachable, Cid would be the one to handle him. Leon knew the older man was not frightened by him at all, and therefore, he did not even try to pull off one of his infamous death glares. He just pierced the pilot with his gaze. A sign that told the older man that if he wanted him to speak, he should at least quit being so damn noisy and rough.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it!" The pilot said gruffly, merely waving at the brunet's gloomy facade, "now come on and tell ol' Cid what happened."

The stoic swordsman took a moment to collect his breath before raking a hand through his hair. It was no other options but to tell Cid really. If he kept quiet, the man would only keep bugging him, and truth to be told, Leon only wanted some time alone.

He debated with himself about whether he should lie to Cid or not. Maybe, just maybe he could come up with a story that would satisfy the other man. On the other hand, he mused, shoulders falling slightly, if Cid figured out he was lying, or ever talked to Cloud, Leon knew he would be in for one hell of a show.  
One did not lie to Cid without paying a real price for it.

"Well," he started, not really knowing what to say, "to tell you the truth, I'm not really sure myself."

Cid just quirked an eyebrow and motioned for Leon to continue.

The former SeeD sighed deeply. He wasn't getting out of this one.

"We were outside..." he started, voice strangely meek, "and...uh.."

"Yeah?" Came the demanding reply.

"And well... we kind of..." He trailed off, slowly turning against the window. How was he supposed to explain this to Cid?

"Yes?"

The suggesting tone the older man used was enough to make the cup flow over.

Unsure of where his anger came from, the darked haired warrior slapped a hand over his face and partly covered his eyes, an exasperated yet angry expression grazing his features.

"Dammit! I almost kissed him Cid!"

Cid's jaw immediately fell slack and Leon would have snickered if it wasn't for the fact that he was in no position to do so.

He looked like a stranded fish.

Said 'fish' regarded Leon as if he'd just turned purple, or something equally absurd, his eyes wide as blitzballs.

Leon kind of wondered if it was healthy for someone to freeze that abruptly, but was pulled out of his thoughts, by a sudden change in Cid's appearance. Out of the blue, the pilot's shoulders were shaking, and the next thing he knew, Cid was clamping his mouth with one of his hands, trying to block out the laughter.

Leon's eyes widened.

Cid was laughing?

What the fuck was so funny?

Hadn't he just spilled his guts and told the older man about his earlier, traumatizing experience?

"Gaia!" Cid finally exclaimed, "You're such a friggin' dramaqueen, Leonheart!"

Now it was Leon's turn to gape.

"W-what?"

This, apparently, was more than the brunet could handle. Hurriedly, still with a shocked expression on his face, he rose from the bed and strode over so Cid, grabbed him by the arm and pushed him outside. Cid did not even have the time to react before the brunet firmly slammed the door in his face.

There was a long silence, which in Leon let himself fall back against the wooden, rectangular surface and slid down to the floor.

After what seemed like hours, Cid finally spoke.

"So you're attracted to men, big deal!"

Leon was tempted to groan, but held back the last minute. "You see, that's where you're wrong Cid! I'm not attracted to men! It's just..."

"Just Cloudy, eh?"

"..." His hand moved upwards, above his head, and fiddled with the doorknob.

"So what?" The Pilot drawled on, "things could'a been much worse. One would think ya'd recognize a true disaster Leon, after all you've been through."

"It is a disaster, Cid! I'm not— I've never..."

"Never felt anything for another male before, I know that. Seriously Squall—"

"It's Leon."

"Whatever, Squall. You need to get over yourself."

A pause.

"What?" Leon's mouth fell open, despite him.

Cid heaved a sigh, and Leon could almost see him rolling his eyes. "Why can't you just accept the things the way they are? Must you always look for some greater meaning? What if ya just happen to have feelings for the man?"

"..."

"Listen, I know it might be hard for you to down all this, but sometimes, we just have to put away our fears and go with the flow."

Leon turned his head slightly and glared at the door, suspicious. "Since when did you become so all-knowing?"

The pilot gave a rough laugh, "Hey, don't underestimate me kid."

He almost smirked. "I'm hardly a kid anymore."

"Nah, maybe not," the older man answered in a gruff tone, "but ya sure ain't so damn grown up either! Brat."

"Whatever..."

"See? There ya go again, trying to ignore the fact that I struck a nerve earlier."

Leon fisted his hands in his hair. "I'm not ignoring anything! I just don't feel like deliberating my so called 'feelings'—"

"You're doing it again! Squall—"

"Leon."

"— Leonheart, when are ya gonna learn?! Dammit, you're such a chicken sometimes! Can't you just come to terms with the fact that you like Spike, eh? Why is that so hard—"

"I'm not a chicken." He cut in, face stern and eyes narrowed.

"Oh, fine then! Would you rather have me calling you a pussy?"

Suddenly, a sarcastic wave rushed through him and he lifted a delicate brow. "Well, yeah... I've always been more of a cat person."

"..."

"..."

They both burst out laughing.

"You're one fucked up brat, ya know that?" Cid muttered after some time, voice slightly cracking from amusement. Leon could picture him wiping his eyes.

"Whatever." Leon was smiling too, but it'd be damned if the old man knew. Luckily, he did not have x-ray vision.

"So, ya gonna talk to him?" Cid asked after a little pause.

"Do I have a choice?"

"No."

"Then I guess I am."

"Good."

TBC


	6. Friends

Warnings: Slash!

Disclaimer: Not mine!

ENJOY!

**

* * *

**

Healing

Chapter Six

_"Friends"_

-

Leon did not come home for dinner that day.

Nor did he return after nightfall. He was out all night and not even Cid had the slightest idea of where he could be. He didn't say where he was going when he left, or what he was thinking when he did so. He hadn't even used the door.

He'd fled. Like a scared and wounded animal.

Jumped out of the window, not even considering the fact that it was a rather large height.

None of the members of the Restoration committee had made any attempts on going after him.

If the lion needed to be alone, then he should be allowed to have his privacy.

Despite her anger, Aerith hoped he was okay, and while taking care of Cloud and forcing him to stay in bed, she sent thoughts of strength his way, and wished for him to come home soon. Even if there was no reason to be worried, there was a storm going on, and although Leon was not unfamiliar with rough weather, she hoped that he was safe and sound and that he kept his clothes as dry as possible.

Cloud had yet to tell her what had happened, but his chilly and calm behavior told her that something was most definitely wrong. She had tried to talk to him, but he had stubbornly refused to talk about it, telling her only that there had been some quarreling between them.

She did not believe him and Leon's reaction only supported her suspicions.

The brunet was not the type to run away from arguments. Nor was he the type to leave an injured comrade in the middle of a storm.

No, Aerith wasn't stupid enough to believe that nothing had happened. For her heart, which she always listened too, told the flower girl that this thing that was happening between her comrades;

Was something big.

Something big and meaningful. And even though they both might get hurt in the process of figuring it out, the healer was almost certain that ignoring it would only make whatever _it _was worse.

She hoped with everything withing her that the two of them would find a way to swallow their pride and seal their wounds safely enough to start the journey they could only travel together.

Things were about to happen, and she could only beg for them to realize their purposes before it became to late.

The healer was not ignorant, and she most certainly wasn't dumb. Aerith had seen her share of life, and death for that matter, and her experience told her that this was a chapter filled with loads of pain. However, the sensed that it also held incredible amounts of happiness. Happiness that would never appear unless her boys could find a way to handle the pain.

She was enormously worried about them both, and even though she had been raging against the fact that Leon left Cloud, she knew in her heart that the brunet was good for Cloud. Leon was... something he needed. What exactly, she wasn't sure, but the flower girl had seen the chemistry between them and how they unconsciously depended on each other.

Leon was an important person in the blond's life, and even if Cloud might not want to admit it, he would have to search long and hard to find a friend of that caliber.

She sighed, and a small frown formed on her features.

It was midnight, and the Cetra was alone in the living room, cleaning up before she was about to go to bed.

Yuffie and Cid had already climbed upstairs and Tifa was sleeping in the bar. Cloud had stayed in his room all day and only once left the bed for a rather demanding errand at the bathroom.

She kept telling herself that she was just wandering about because she had to clean up the mess from the day's events, but in reality, she was waiting, unable to go to sleep without knowing that Leon was indeed all right.

So, when the door in Merlin's house creaked open and Leon's dark and stoic silhouette finally appeared in the hallway, Aerith felt like throwing herself around his neck. Apparently, she had been slightly more worried than she's thought.

She didn't go that far however, but at the familiar sight of his face, she let the duster drop, and her shoulders relaxed evidently.

Without a word, she walked over to him, placed a hand on his shoulder and pressed her forehead against his chest.

As tears started to form in her eyes, she took in the musky scent of sweat, rain and leather. The scent that was so utterly Leon. All her anger left her that very moment and the only feeling remaining was one of utter and complete composure. Her warrior was safe, he was unhurt and he was there.

It took the brunet a while to respond, but when he finally got his body to listen, he raised his arms and placed them around her slim back.

Pulling her into a tight hug, he used one of his hands to stroke her hair softly as he rested his chin atop of her head.

"I..." He whispered hoarsely, but before he managed to finish, Aerith pulled away from the embrace and placed a finger on his lips.

"It's okay Leon," she murmured, a small smile grazing her features, "I know. I know and I'm just glad you're all right." She stroked his arm lovingly, "now go upstairs and rest."

He looked at her uncertainly. "You sure?"

A nod. "Yes." She turned and picked up the duster and continued her work. "Oh," she bit her lip, "and I think Cloud is still up. At least he was awake an hour ago."

She looked at him pointedly, in a way that made Leon dropped his mask. "Aerith?" He shook his head faintly and motioned towards the stairs. "Is... uhm.. is he all right?"

The flower girl smiled and through the dim light Leon saw a small flicker of amusement in her eyes. He frowned a little at this, seeing as he could not quite understand what could possibly be amusing about the whole situation.

"He's fine." She traced the table surface with her index finger, searching it for dust, "we found him shortly after you went upstairs."

She regarded him for a couple of seconds before continuing. "Leon?"

"Hm?"

"He looked very confused. Like something was really bothering him and he's refused to talk to me all day." She paused to catch her breath, eyes flickering slightly from his, "did...Did you...?"

"I almost kissed him."

She dropped the duster again, this time not so purposely. "W-what?"

He simply nodded. "I don't know how it happened. We were just standing there, discussing his accident and..." he trailed off, eyes slipping out of focus.

"Oh." Was all she managed to get out. This was quite different from what she's imagined happened between them. Very different indeed. She would have never expected this.

A fight she could have handled, an emergency even, but this? Leon had almost kissed Cloud? Her Cloud? Zack and her's beloved Chocobo-head?

Cloud, the silent, embedded soldier who'd been a part of saving the world not even once, but twice?

She almost felt dizzy at the thought.

Since when did he go around kissing people?

And, in the name of Gaia, since when did he go around kissing _Leon_?

Aerith was no stranger to love and most definitely not when it consumed Cloud. There even used to be a time where she had been in love with him and him in her, but that was ages since now. Lifetimes even. It had taken her death to realize that that they were not meant to be and that Cloud was not supposed to be with her. That she wasn't supposed to be with Cloud. She had known this ever since she became a part of the Lifestream and by that, when she met Zack Fair again.

Zack, the first class SOLDIER who cheerfully stole her heart away, along with her youth. He, and he alone was the true bearer of her love. It was directed at him, and him alone. No one else could even come close. Not even Cloud.

"I don't know what happened," came Leon's breathless voice and she was startled out of her own musings. He trapped her gaze, an almost lost expression resting in his face.

Well, she thought, if she was surprised by the news he gave her, then he was most likely in shock. She could only imagine what he was going through at the moment.

"I don't know..." he whispered, as if he did not really want to believe his own words, "he was thanking me, and the next thing I know, we were..."

"It's okay Leon," she stopped him with a hand-gesture, "you don't have to tell me." She chuckled a little, "but I think I have a fairly good idea of how you feel."

"Hm?"

"Well for once, the last person you loved was that Sorceress, Rinoa, wasn't it? From what I have heard from Cid, she was not exactly an inept person, was she? He told me about your relationship and from what I understand, she worked hard to gain your affection." She paused to brush a few brown strains out of her face.

"Cloud is not like that. With him, it will probably be the other way around and you're going to have to work to gain _his_ affection. At least if you want to maintain a blossoming relationship with him."

He scowled half heartedly at her. "Who said anything about a relationship?"

She gave a short, musical laugh, a sound that completely broke the tension. "From what I've learned Leon, kissing people usually means you like them and want to expand your relationship with them." Her eyes glimmered at him, "at least that's what I think it means."

"Well," he replied smugly, a smirk slowly spreading in his face, "_I_ think— that all that dust must have gotten to your head."

The Cetra's eyes widened at before Leon could even as much as think of reacting, she bent down, grabbed the duster and smacked him in the chest with it. "You ruthless brute! How dare you?" She smacked him again, a little harder this time. "Now get your leather-clad ass out of my sight before I call Yuffie!"

His jaw dropped open. "Leather-clad ass?" he started, laughter bubbling in his throat. "Aerith?"

"Oh, just go to bed Leon!" She barked, cheeks flushed in deep scarlet, "you're distracting me!"

The strange, but welcomed sound of Leon's laughter rung in her ears even after he'd left the living room, and Aerith knew she would be having problems with sleeping that night.

-- TBC


	7. Rythm

**Warnings:** Slash

**Disclaimer:** I do not own!

**A/N:** Basically, it's one o clock at night, and I am tired... Therefore, I must apologize for the shortness of this chapter. However, I hope you'll like it.

So... hehe, thank you all for reviewing, and thanks for all the comments about how to imporove!

Btw: Lol, Cid is really... annoying sometimes. But you gotta love him!

* * *

**Healing**

Chapter Seven

_"Rythm"_

-

Cloud was standing by the window, staring out on the dark, starlit sky, muscled, tanned arms crossed over his chest. He did not turn when the door to his and Leon's bedroom open, and yet, Leon knew he was being watched. The small, almost invisible frown that rested on the blond's lips and the cold, unwavering gleam in his eyes gave it away.

The gunblader stood completely still for a moment, unsure of whether he should just leave again or not. He was not ready for this, and nothing, not even Aerith's encouraging words from before could have prepared him for this.

Yet, he knew he had to do this. There was no way around.

As his heart sped up, the dark haired swordsman watched how his silent companion pursed his lips a little, as if he was waiting for something to happen. Or rather, Leon thought, for him to speak.

Well, he was just going to have to open his mouth and get the words out. Now that shouldn't be so hard, should it?

"I—uh... Cloud, listen," he felt his courage slowly leaving him before he'd even started and his frustration grew with every second.

How the hell was he supposed to do this?

Squall Leonheart had never been good at apologizing and rarely did he seek out reasons to do so. He always dodged situation where it would be required of him to apologize in the end and for a good reason too. He was really, _really_ bad at apologizing.

In fact, it was probably only one thing he was worse at; speaking his feelings.

Which, of course, did not make this the slightest bit easier and cursing under his breath, he lifted his chin up, determined not to let this chance slip.

He had to talk to Cloud.

If he didn't do that know, if he didn't explain himself and his actions, the blond would leave Hollow Bastion as soon as his health allowed it, something Leon would never accept. He would not stand by and watch while Cloud hit the road, not without trying his best to stop him first. It wasn't even a possibility. Cloud was going to stay where he was. At least Leon would do anything -he cringed inwardly, damn, this was really difficult- to make the blond stay around.

He was confused and angry.

Confused because he had never felt this way before and angry because he was confused.

He'd never meant for any of this to happen.

He'd never meant to let his heart get this involved! Yes, because by now, even Leon had to succumb to the clean and simple truth. There was not even a point in denying it. Leon knew it and he hated it.

He hated himself for showing this kind of weakness.

Weakness, he associated with Squall, and the man he used to be. Weakness wasn't something he showed anymore and he definitely did not show it to Cloud. Yet, here he was, stuttering, fighting to find his words. All because of said weakness and because he could not let the golden haired warrior before him leave him.

Cloud still had not uttered a word, he just kept staring out the window, eyes fixed on the velvet midnight sky. His cobalt blue gaze had yet to meet Leon's, but by looking at his stiffened back and working jaws, the brunet knew he was listening.

"Cloud, I don't know how to put this, but..." he searched for words, "you... what happened yesterday... I was—"

"Don't." He hadn't seen the blond's lips move, but the word chimed in his ears like an echo. Teeth still gritted, he closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "You don't have to explain yourself Leonheart." Leon cringed a little at the mention of his last name, "I am the one who should apologize."

Wait, what?

"Forcing myself on you like that was..." he trailed off, his gaze wandering to his hands, "I don't know what got to me, I just—"

"Oh, stop it!" The gunblader's fierce order almost made the blond jump. He lifted his head and was surprised to see Leon standing only a few feet away from him, a rather angry expression evident on his features. "You weren't the only one involved! So quit acting as if you were trying to seduce me, Strife!"

As expected, he lifted his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't fucking know what happened back then, and quite frankly, I don't feel like analyzing it more than I've already done. Maybe it was just a search for contact, or...or—"

"Leon." The quiet way Cloud uttered his name made the brunet close his mouth. A bit appalled, he watched as Cloud stepped closer to him, ocean eyes locking with his.

"Listen to yourself." He mumbled, voice mussed like unpolished glass. "You say you don't want to dwell upon it. That you think you're done analyzing it, but apparently, Leon, you're not! And... I don't know where we're heading. I don't know what possessed me to act the way I did yesterday, and I most certainly don't know how we ended up like this. But," he swallowed and Leon could see how a small flush crept its way to his cheeks, "I know that ignoring it won't make it better."

His expression turned almost agonizing and heaving for his breath, he stubbornly held onto Leon's gaze. "I'm not the only one feeling this, am I?"

His shoulders hunched slightly. "You might not want to supplicate it, but something is changing between us and you know it. No matter how much we try to deny it— and we know we're both masters of denial— it will still be there and we won't get rid of it without trying to figure out what it means."

Leon was stunned. This was the first time he had ever heard Cloud speak more than a pair of sentences in one go. He felt himself slowly opening his mouth, but not a sound came out. He just stared at the blond, flabbergasted, as if he'd grown a new set of ears. This was enough to make Cloud snap.

"You know what? Just forget it!" He turned away angrily, once again facing the window. "You clearly don't want to deal with this." He crossed his arms over his chest, "so, why don't you just leave, Leon?"

"Because if I do, then you won't hesitate to do the same thing!" The brunet all but shouted. "And..." his voice dropped again, to the point where it was barely audible, "I can't let that happen."

Cloud turned around, slowly. "What?"

Leon looked shocked by his own words, almost frightened. He raked a hand through his hair and stepped back a little, until he reached the bed. There, he let his knees give in to his weight and sat down, face buried in his hands. He appeared exhausted and Cloud could swear he had never seen the brunet so impaired.

The blond stood there watching him, unsure of what to do, or how to reply to Leon's earlier outburst.

He was not used to handling stuff like this. Especially not stuff like this involving Leon.

"Hey..." he at least managed to murmur. "Hey... I..."

"I'm sorry."

Sapphire eyes widened. "What? You're sorry?"

Leon, face still covered by his palms, raised his head and shook it faintly. "I'm sorry." Before the blond could reply, he proceeded removing his hands and seized Cloud with an intense look.

"You're right." He bit his lip, a gesture that almost made him appear childish and lost, "I don't want to deal with this. I'm... I'm scared Cloud."

A dead silence fell around their ears. Not even the wind was able to squeeze through the closed window and disturb their quiet waiting.

It took him forever to find his voice.

"You—You're scared?"

Leon sighed heavily. "Yes. I'm scared." His eyes met Cloud's, "This feeling that I get around you... it scares me more than I care to admit. I..."

"I know." Cloud was with him in a heartbeat and his hands darted out to grab the gunblader by his shoulders.

"I know Leon. I'm scared too," he squeezed the warm body beneath his palms, "I'm not used to this either. And for the record, I don't even know what _this_ is."

He chuckled softly. "I'm as new to this as you are."

Gently, as if he was afraid of scaring the brunet, Cloud placed a hand under his chin.  
Leon, aware of how his heart sped up rapidly, reckoned he should probably be feeling a little undignified by this action, but his mind did not seem to work properly as those brilliant blue eyes were merely inches from his. Breathing raggedly, he tried to swallow before slowly raising his own hands to Cloud's face, cupping his cheeks.  
They regarded each other silently for a moment, before Cloud dazedly closed his eyes, while Leon drew him closer. Gently, he placed a hand on the warrior's chest, fingers slowly curling around a strong collarbone.

"Cloud...?" He murmured huskily, allowing his eyes to drift shut as well.

"Hmm?" Was the blond's breathy reply.

He smiled, not bothering to lift his eyelids. "I can feel your heartbeats."

At his words, breath caught in the blond's throat and Leon felt his hand tremble against his cheek. Cloud hesitated for a second, sapphire eyes fluttering open, Leon's gray ones doing the same. The blond hero gazed at the slightly more muscular man in front of him and his bottom lip quivered almost invisibly.

Leon's smile widened at this, and with his blood rushing through his veins, he pressed his palm firmer against the other man's cheek. Cloud immediately leaned into the touch and closing his eyes once more, he let his free hand find Leon's and tuck it closer to his chest.

Their breaths mingled the second before their lips met.

The kiss was like nothing Leon had ever experienced before. It started out gentle, their mouths simply meeting, lips tasting each other, slowly, hesitantly. It was shaking, almost clumsy, and held a softness in it that would not be associated with a warrior.

Fire slithered down Leon's spine and his hands tightened their grip around the blond's face—

"THERE'S A BLOODY FIRE?!"

The two of them jumped roughly and when his forehead painfully connected with Cloud's, Leon cursed Cid with all the power held by his soul.

--TBC


	8. Rage

**A/N:** Oh. My. God.

That's all I have to say. I could ramble on about... how sorry I am for not updating in a YEAR- but I won't. Because it has many reasons- WHICH are not important to you guys xD

I can only hope that you're still with me. AND for the record- I am IN THE GAME again! Totally!

Please forgive me for the... awkwardness and emoness of this chapter. Remember, I haven't written anything in over 11 months!! Oo

Reviews are HIGHLY appreciated- even though I probably don't deserve them at all.

* * *

**Healing**

_Chapter Seven_

"Rage"

-

There was a fire indeed.

And a massive one at that.

By the time Leon and Cloud had managed to get themselves torn away from one another and conquered the ten-about steps leading to the hallway, the smoke had already settled in the lower parts of the stairwell. Black, thick smoke welling out from a source that Leon reckoned couldn't be anything but the kitchen.

The kitchen? What the...?

It was in the middle of the night, and as far as he knew, Aerith had been the only one up when he went upstairs, and she wasn't exactly known to burn suff, much less let it burn long enough to create such a massive wall of dark, foul smelling smoke.

As they moved down and into the blackness, he even started feeling the heat tearing in his nostrils, making his eyes water and his throat itch like crazy. This coulnd't be just small cooking-fire. No hotplate in any world out there would ever be able to create a full-blown fire this fast. Let alone one that escalated like this.

Then what had caused it?

He didn't need to think long to come up with an answer.

Magic.

The only thing that could cause such an event would be magic, Leon though as he leaped down the final steps and landed on the first floor, boots slamming fiercly into the squeaking wood beneath them. This fire _had_ to be created with the help of magic.

But the question was, who or what could have done something like this?

Oh well, it wasn't a time to ponder. They would, he reckoned, figure that out soon enough.

Covering his face with the sleeve of his arm, the gunblader reached out behind him and placed his palm on Cloud's chest. "Stay here!" He outed sternly, voice muffled by the fabric covering his mouth.

He knew the command was ridicolous even before it had fully left him, and the rough shove he recieved in return was the answer he'd known he'd get.

Cloud wasn't gonna sit back and watch Leon put out a fire, and the brunet knew it was useless to start an argument, even if they both knew Cloud shouldn't be doing anything remotely stressfull at the moment, due to his condition. Absolutely useless. The swordsman was just as stubborn as Leon, if not worse.

With this in mind, the brunet let the thought of protecting Cloud from danger leave him, and letting the blond do as he wished, he got his limbs in motion and sprinted for the kitchen. Before he got there however, he was stopped abruptly by something crashing into his abandomen, and judging by the suprised yelp coming from below, the "something" he had bumped into was none other than Yuffie Kisaragi.

"Leon!" She yelled, her voice reflecting the panic he felt himself. "What's going on?!"

"Yuffie!" He barked back, using the arm that wasn't covering his face, to push her out of the way, "get Merlin! There is a fire!"

He knew he was stating the obvious, but right then he was too concerned about the current situation to care.

Yuffie however, must have picked up on it, cause as she passed him she gave a sarcastic snort, loud enough for him to hear over the cracking of burning wood.

"No shit!"

-

Everything happened extremely fast from there, and later Leon found he couldn't even remember anything from the fifteen-thereabout minutes he and Cloud spent on locating the fire (which was, for the record, not located anywhere near the stove, but on the opposite wall from it in the kitchen), and trying to put it out.

They had tried casting every spell they thought would work on it, but nothing seemed to affect it, something which just added certainity to Leon's theory. This wasn't a natural fire. Not by far.

Where the heck was Merlin?!

After a good ten minutes, it became evident to Leon that it was nothing they could do to stop the raging inferno, and that the wisest move they could make at that point was retreating to somewhere safe. He stepped back a little and started scouting for Cloud, whom he knew was in there with him somewhere.

"Cloud!" He yelled, his voice hoarse from inhaling smoke. "Cloud! We gotta get out of here!"

"Leon!" An equally rough voice replied, indicating where the blond was located, "where are you?!"

Moving towards the source of the sound, Leon blinked furisouly, trying to ease the burning sensation in his eyes. "I'm here!" He almost tripped over a fallen chair, "where are _you_?!"

"I'm- ahh-!" Came the breathless reply.

And he saw him.

The gunblader wasn't sure of when or how it happened but sometime during their exhasperating fight with the flames, Cloud had apparently dropped to the ground, proably to avoid deirect contact with the scolding, dark breath of heat. He was supporting himself on his arms, his nails diggin into the old, splintered material beneath him, a pained look grazing his features. He was heaving for his breath, neck bowed, his nose almost touching the floor.

Leon was about to rush over, when something came crashing down from above, missing him only by a few inches. Through the darkness of the room he saw Cloud's crouched body on the other side of the fallen object, which he now identified as a broken rafter.

"CLOUD!"

The scream, possibly coming from himself, filled his ears, and black dots started to appear infront of his eyes.

All of a sudden, his vision shrinked completely and again the gruesome image of Cloud's limp figure on the ground came rusing to his mind.

_"Stay awake!" _

Instead of the demolished kitchen, he now saw an outdoor scene. A scene that had been hunting him every night for the past couple of weeks.

Blood. Splatters all over the hard, stony surface beneath Cloud's body. Slowly running away from him, pumped further and further from his veins with every heartbeat. His life leaving him right before Leon's eyes.

The gunblader felt his breath hitch, and without realizing, he clutched his chest.

Leon could see it all now. Again.

The vibrant red smeared accross Cloud's abandomen. A sickening contrast to the deathly paleness of his skin. The helpless look on the blond's face as his back started arching, the fluttering of his eyeleashes, the desperate plea for help in his azure eyes.

_"Cloud!" _

All of a sudden, his body started trembling, and for some reason, his weight was suddenly too heavy for his legs to carry. He fell to his knees, and with something akin to a whimper, he slouched forward and buried his face in his hands.

_Leon_

"No!" He didn't even notice that the sound emitted from himself. He was too far away, too lost in the horrible world of remembrance- and all he recognized was the pained, terrified expression lingering within that cerulean stare. He was gonna lose Cloud! Cloud was gonna die! Right there, in his arms, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. He felt like a little child again, completely lacking control of the situation.

Alone, powerless and scared. Scared to death of losing the one thing that-

_"Leon!"_

"No, no, no, no, no...." It became a mantra, the rythm of the words strangely soothing as he repeated them over and over while rocking back and forth.

"LEON!"

The scene suddenly buzzed before his eyes, disheveled, and he realized someone was there with him, in the midst of the smoke. Someone was at his side, pulling at him, yelling something about an explosion in his ear.

What? An explosion?

In the last second, he managed to snap out of it, only in time to see Yuffie's terrified face only centimeters from his own. He opened his mouth to ask her what the fuck she was talking about-

-but he didn't even manage to open his mouth before she practically tackled him off his feet.

Everything was a blurr from there on. The feeling off hot glass colliding with his skull, breaking at the harsh contact, sending a shower of shards down his neck. Yuffie's arms around him, her cheek against his chest, and her fingers clawing at the back of his shirt.

Somewhere behind him he heard a deep rumble, followed by a highpitched tune, and then- he heard no more. His vision went black for a split second- a giant wave of heat slammed against their bodies and all of a sudden, some invisible force grabbed ahold of them and flung them forwards with a speed he'd never in is life experienced.

A few moments later, he found himself sprawled on the ground outside the cottage, half of Yuffie's body covering his. There was a throbbing pain in the back of his head and the air had been knocked out of him, so his lungs were hurting with every intake of breath. When he lifted his head he realised they had been jumping through a window, hitting it with such a force that not only the glass, but parts of the frame broke, leaving a gaping, sharp-edged hole in the wall.

With a small gasp, he tried to sit up, causing the knocked out ninja on top of him to stir faintly, a soft groan leaving her lips.

"Ugh..." She slid off him, shaking her head. Her hair was tousled, and her gaze seemed unfocused, confused. "Squally?"

"Leon." The gunblader shot in automatically, his eyes still fixed on the broken window, from which smoke was swirling up into the dark, starry sky. Leon watched it for a couple of seconds, his mind blank. Then, realization dawned upon him, and the blood froze in his veins.

There had been an explosion!

"CLOUD!"

The small girl by his side let out a heaving sigh. "Whaaa-"

Leon got to his feet even before Yuffie could even blink.

"Cloud! He was in there!" Leon was practically screaming hysterically now, the pain in his head completely forgotten.

"Leon, I-"

"-we have to go back inside! He might be hurt!"

He twirled on his heel he started running towards the entrance of the cottage.

"Leon!" Yuffie was running after him, "Leon! WAIT!"

He didn't listen, he just kept moving. He _had_ to find Cloud. Make sure he was safe! However, before he could get that far, something hard hit him in the back.

"LEON!"

He spun around. "WHAT?!"

His eyes locked with tired sapphire ones, and in a flash, everything around him dissolved. He froze on the spot, his arms falling limply to his sides. He could do nothing but stare at the face before him, blinking dumbly, not able to move a muscle.

Cloud's face and hair was covered in ash, making the color of his eyes seem even brighter than usual, and his clothing was torn and burnt several places, giving Leon small glimpses of his skin through the shredded fabric.

Suddenly, his throat felt impossibly swollen and his hands started trembling swiftly.

"How..?" He managed to croak out before his voice cracked. How could the blond be outside with them? Leon had _seen_ him on the floor, just before Yuffie came for him! There was no possible way that he could have escaped without the brunet noticing. Was there?

The blond soldier sported something between a grimace and a smile, before shrugging. "I'm faster than you think Leonheart."

The comment made Leon raise a brow even though he was still in shock.

"Apparently."

A short answer. But inside, his heart was dancing.

* * *

A/N: TO BE CONTINUED! SOON! I had the whole damned thing written down... and I lost it when my computer crashed. So, I have to create a somewhat alternate ending- BUT this is a work in progress. And soon enough, I will be back in business!

Heh... also, I'm sure I wasn't the only one who noticed all the: "LEON!" "CLOUD!" "YUFFIE!" "CLOUD!" "LEON!" "CLOUD" "CLOUD" "YUFFIE" "LEON!!!"

/N: Now..


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